“Unlikely Showdown: Man’s Bold Response to Criticism Over ‘Trashy’ Tattoo Leaves Rude Old Lady Speechless!”
An elderly hotel guest learned this lesson the hard way after making rude comments about the employee’s tattoo
Image credits: Alexandra Barbulica – Tattoo Artist (not the actual photo)
The man put the woman in her place, and he does not regret doing so
Image source: anxiousaxolotl4
Older people tend to be more prejudiced because of brain changes in late adulthood
Image credits: Nathan Anderson (not the actual photo)
While the woman’s behavior was inexcusable, it’s partly due to natural occurrence. In an article for the BBC, author and social psychologist Dr. William von Hippel explained that it’s also because of brain changes in late adulthood.
As he explains, the brain’s frontal lobe gradually atrophies as we age. While it does not negatively affect intelligence, it degrades parts of the brain that hinder us from having inappropriate thoughts.
This is likely why older people find it more difficult to find words they want to say and why many voice thoughts they would usually suppress.
In his research, Dr. von Hippel also found that older people rely on stereotypes more and are likely to be socially insensitive “across a variety of domains.”
“Inhibitory ability isn’t stopping people’s true opinions from emerging so much as it’s suppressing their prior opinions,” Dr. von Hippel wrote, adding that older adults simply find it more difficult to suppress prejudices because of poor frontal lobe functioning.
Young people will likely encounter old, judgmental folks like the author did. When these situations arise, experts like marriage and psychotherapist Linda K. Laffey, MFT, advise going for an always-proven method: showing empathy.
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